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Shoritch
The great, knife-shaped claw of Huran, Shoritch is a kingdom of great mystery. Their king, the Rogue King, is just and does well to protect his subjects from harm or famine, although his actions seem questionable to outsiders. Secret organisations under the King’s control hide in the shadows of every nation, unbeknownst and unseen by most people. A small company that follows these organisations wishes an audience with me. Shoritch As Described by Peterson von Grand Peterson is a Shoritcher born and raised, but has always been suspicious of his ruler, the Rogue King. He is now part of a group of people who pursue to bring the King’s efforts to the public’s attention. Shoritch is a land of many kinds of terrain and an elusive past, which Peterson knows all too well. “What’s the history behind Shoritch?” Ah well, yes, its history has been one of contest to be sure. It all started when those folks from Lighthaven and Snelblum started expanding into the rest of the world. They drove out some tribes that roamed here, Spirits only know what happened to them, they didn’t even get a footnote in the great history books. You may know that Leda is a hassle to get to without proper equipment or taking the detour, especially with Shoritch’ wonky landscape blocking the entrance even further. So as people were trying to get to that sandbox of a country, some decided to settle in Shoritch to get their bunches about and make a pretty penny from those passing on to Leda. This made Shoritch kind of a basic merchant’s trail, which changed during the war with the Goblinoids. As they pressed on from Leda, forces has already gathered in Shoritch to try and fend of the invaders. As a precedent, Shoritch was essentially turned into one big military compound, or, at least, the northern half. The southern half lies behind a crooked fence of mountains and hills, a very difficult-to-get area. This is where we first meet our ‘King’, the Rogue King. He’d been around for much longer, but it wasn’t until now that he became essential to Shoritch’ future. Instead of assisting the war effort, the King chose to sit back, hiding behind the mountains. When the Goblinoids had taken Shoritch and moved to the rest of the continent, the King took the opportunity and used his league of shadowy figures to assassinate all leaders of the opposing forces. After the legions were without order, he burned them to the ground and declared Shoritch his. Since there wasn’t anyone strong enough to oppose it, and they did kind of see him as a hero at the time, no one thought anything of it, and still doesn’t to this day. Except for me and my crew. Shoritch’ entire governing system is based on assassins and deceivers, it’s impossible to keep the organisation running smoothly without any back-alley business, and we will prove it! “How did the culture develop in Shoritch?” It remained surprisingly similar to before the Goblinoids came. We easily rebuilt after Sylvan the Purifier cleaned up all those demons, and the Rogue King quickly slipped back into the shadows from whence he came. He remained a ruler though, but, as I said, most law enforcement is a bunch of cover-up spies so any and all crime is punished with a silent and eerie charge. Shoritch has remained a mercantile state, and that will probably never change as long as Leda stands on its legs. The entire country is driven by money, if you don’t got none you either gotta work or get thrown out. Though Leda has the main gate, there’s still some openings to the Underdark in Shoritch. The land’s naturally foggy, so Shadow folk are a bit more common outside than up north, creating a pretty healthy mix of the kinds of people you can encounter here. There’s even the occasional tolerated Orc. “What do other countries think of the Rogue King’s land?” Man oh man do they love him. Well, most of them. You can’t be a master rogue and have no enemies after all. The most clear-cut allies are Leda and Starbay, both being Shoritch’ neighbours and all. The King has more units set up in those lands, and they tend to help the common populace there. Some of the opponents of Shoritch include Dragonhearth, which is only logical. The Rogue King is essentially a partner in crime of Lady Truthforth, Lighthaven’s queen, so he’s sort of in that pool of ‘What the dragons hate’. However, the other one may catch you off guard: Snelblum. The Ministry of Progress that runs it is all about transparency and being welcoming, two features the Rogue King’s goons distinctly lack. They do trade, and Snelblum has philanthropic activities in the country, but those are more out of necessity than kindness. “What kind of landmarks can be found in Shoritch?” There is Gadador, the national capital and a major sea-based trading hub. Another notable city is the southern Knifepoint, a settlement that is heavily guarded. It is primarily used for the import of farming produce from our satellite nation Pestal. With the Southern Great Gatespire running through the middle of Shoritch, you can find a number on intriguing rock formations along the range. One specifically is the Twin Valley, two valleys divided by a mountain. It’s a popular tourist attraction, but I can’t say why. I’ve never been there though, so for all I know it’s some festival with golden dragons flying about. West of Shoritch is an island with a few utterly massive mountains. The entire thing is an underwater ridge that got pushed up and out of the sea a long time ago, and is now an integral part of the Crossing Sea’s defensive line. There’s a small city at the northern part of the island, called Torchpike.